Corrugati n g-mach ine



(No Model.) 2 Shets-Sheet 1.

1W. J] PLECKER. GORRUGATING MAGHINE.

No. 473,019. Patented Apr. 1,9, 1892.

(No Model.) 2 sheets-"sheet 2.

W. J. PLECKlRA.- A C0RRIIGrA'IJINGf MACHINE.

Patented Apr. 19 1892.

Tem mme.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM J. PLECKER, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

Co'RRUGATlNc-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,019, dated April 19, 1892. Application filed September 3,1890. Serial No. 363,820. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. PLECKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Machinery for the Manufacture of Corrugated Sheet-Metal Pipes in Different Sizes, generally used as conduit-pipes on buildings, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a machine for corrugating sheet-metal pipe-a machine which is durable and easily constructed, which may be used for different sizes of pipe, and which can be so adjusted as to be used for pipes differing as to the number of corrugations.

Machines of several sorts have heretofore been constructed for corrugating pipe, and they may be divided into three classes: first, those in which the mandrel and the pressing devices are both relativelystationary while the skelp is drawn between them; second, those in which the mandrel and the skelp thereon are stationary, thepressing devices being movable relatively thereto, and, third, those having a movable mandrel and a stationary set of pressing devices; and to this third class my invention belongs.

In the first class the skelp must be seamed and folded before it can pass through the machine, and it can be readily seen that this has many drawbacks, for the seam will tend to unfold, and thereby undo the work of the locking devices, or if the edges remain tightly locked the metal will be cracked from the strain.

With the machines of the second class are used also those for binding down the folds or seams of stovepipes, cans, buckets, dac., and it is obvious that comparatively very little power can be applied with the machine of this class.

With the machines of the third class may be classed the machines for rolling and corrugating seamless metal pipes, as for girders,

` &c., and also those for rolling lightning-rods and corrugated wire, in which machines the pressing-rolls are so situated as to balance the pressure.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l is a perspective View of a portion of the frame, showing the arrangement of the pressing-rolls.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the mandrel with the skelp thereon, showing the method of corrugating and of securing the seam. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the whole machine with the mandrel extended. Fig. 4 is a side view of the same.

A is a frame mounted upon suitable supports and having a rearward ly-extending portion also suitably supported. Mounted in bearings in the rear end of the fra-me is a shaft carrying pinion B and rotated by a beltpulley or, as shown in the drawings, bya pair of cranks. Sliding upon the frame is a carriage E, provided with a rack, with which the pinion engages and from which it receives its motion. -Detachably secured to the carriage by any suitable coupling device and projecting forward therefrom is a mandrellF, conforming in shape and size to the inside measurement of the pipe to be formed. The mandrelis reciprocated through a set of pressing disks or rollers G G G. These rollers are mounted in away to be hereinafter described.

K is a plate of the form of a ring, having two or more grooves or recesses M M concentric therewith. To this plate are secured the bifurcated arms I I, being bolted thereto by bolts L, passed through the grooves M M. These arms are adjustable toward and from the mandrel and also laterally, so that it will be seen that any number of rolls may be used to correspond ,with the corrugations in the mandrel. (By laterally I mean adjustable in planes transverse to the faces of the pressing-rolls.) Mounted inthe endsof these bifurcated arms are the rolls or pressing-wheels G G, the Wheels being so formed on the circumference as to fit in the corrugations of the mandrel. On the side of theplate opposite to that on which the pressing-rolls are mounted is a roll N, having a grooved edge O, Figs. 2 and 3, which is designedl to close the locked edges of the skelp after the other wheels have pressed the metal into the corrugations of the mandrel. Pivoted to the front face of the plate K is a detent-lever havinga plate R, adapted to engage the end of the tinished pipe to draw it off of the mandrel.

It will be readily understood how the machine is operated. The metal blank is cut to the desired size and has the locking edges bent over in a cornice-brake or in any other IOO suitable way, and is then bent over until the edges are locked together. The mandrel being withdrawn, the end of the skelp or unfinished pipe is rested against a stop-post T and the carriage is fed forward by the rack and pinion, the mandrel entering the'skelp and advancing until its forward limit is reached, thus sleeving the pipe on the mandrel. Then, the carriage being withdrawn, the. pipeis firmly gripped between the rolls G and the mandrel and is carried by the mandrel through the said rolls, the metal being pressed into the corrugations. Then the carriage is fed forward, and on being again reversed the detent-lever is held down, and, engaging with the end of the finished pipe, holds it stationary, while the mandrel is withdrawn. It will be noted that the disk N is placed on the rear side of the plate K, and for the following reason: I have found that if the edges of the pipe are finally locked before corrugating the operation tends to unlock the seam or crack the metal on account of the strain. I, however,-place the skelp with loosely-locked edges on the mandrel, and the metal is firmly pressed into the corrugations before the seam is firmly closed. This is a very important feature of my machine, as I thereby make a much more durable pipe than one made as before described.y

I am aware that machines have been used for rolling seamless tubing in which the rolls were mounted adjustably radially around the pipe; butI believe that I am the rst to have constructed a machine in which the rolls are adjustable laterally, so that a larger or smaller number can be used without alteringthe machine in any other respect.

I am also aware that machines for rolling cornices and also for seaming tinware articles have been used in which racks and pinions have been utilized to reciprocate the mandrel in one case and the pressing-roller in another. In the first case the rack is secured to substantially the entire length of the mandrel and the pinion is directly under the pressing-roll, whereas in my machine the mandrel is entirely outside of the transverse plane of the rack and is joined thereto by any suitable coupling, so that it can be readily detached and another of a different size or having a different number of corrugations may be substituted.

I also know that it has been proposed to use a machine having corrugation-forming bars as long as the tube or pipe tobe treated and which are from end to end forced into the recesses of the mandrel and are all carried with the mandrel during its traverse, there being a seam-locking roll at a comparatively remote point, which does not come into action until after the other steps are all completed. I provide a much simpler and more compact machine by employing stationary corrugating-rolls and arrangingthe seam-roll in a transverse plane behind but in close proximity to that of the corrugating-rolls,

and hence, while one of the above-described objects is attainable-namely,.allowing the corrugations to be formed prior to the binding of the seam-yet the two steps of corrugating and locking are practically occurring simultaneously, and an instant after the tube leaves the corrugating-rolls the final part of the seam is locked and the article is finished. This cannot be attained where compressingbars are used each as long as the entire tube.

I do not herein claim the process which is herein set forth, consisting in first forming a tube with loosely-engaged joined edges, then inserting a corrugating-mandrel, then pressing the metal into the corrugations of the mandrel, and finally tightening the seam or joint by bending the overlapping edges down upon the pipe, but have filed another application therefor as a division of the present one.

Vhat I claim isl. In a machine for forming closed corrugated tubes, the combination of the stationary frame, the corrugation-forming rolls mounted on the stationary frame, and the seam-locking roll in a transverse plane behind that of the corrugating rolls, but in close proximity thereto, and situated substantially as set forth, whereby whileone part of the tube is having the seam locked the other part is being simultaneously corrugated.,

2. In a machine for corrugating sheet-metal pipe, the combination of the pinion and rack, the bar or carriage secured to the rack, the longitudinally-reciprocating mand rel projecting beyond the transverse planesof-the rack and adapted to be entirely surrounded by a sheet-metaltube, the framesupportingthe said parts, and the corrugating-rolls mounted on said frame in a transverse plane other than those of the rack and placed, substantially as set forth, around the path of the mandrel, whereby they mutually act to relieve the mandrel of side pressure when the mandrel is caused by the rack and pinion to pass between them, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with the longitudinally-movable mandrel, of the rin g-like plate and pressing-rolls secured to said plate and adjustable toward and from the mandrel and laterally adjustable, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with the longitudinally-movable mandrel, of the plate and pressing-rolls secured to the plate and adjustable laterally, substantially as set forth. p

5. The combination of the frame, the plate secured to said frame, the curvilinear guides in said plate, the arms carrying rolls, and clamps for fastening said arms in said guides, substantially as set forth.

6. 4The combination, with the frame and the longitudinally-movable mandrel, of the ringlike plate secured to the frame and having concentric guides, bifurcated arms secured to said plate and laterally adjustable, and pressin g-rolls mounted in said bifurcated arms, substantially as set forth.

IOO

IIO

7. The combination, with the frame comtudinally-movable corrugated mandrel, the prising the rearwardly-extending portion and pressing-rolls mounted on the frame, and a the upright portion,the ring-like plate mountvertically-swinging ldetent-lever mounted on ed on said upright portion and having conthe frame and adapted to engage with the I5 5 centric guides, the arms clamped in said pipe on the mandrel,substantia1ly as and for guides, and pressing-rolls mounted in said the purpose set forth. arms, of a carriage sliding on said rearwardlyextending.;` portion and a mandrel secured to WILLIAM J. PLECKER. said carriage and passing between said press- Witnesses: ro ing-rolls, substantially as set forth. CHAS. S. HARRIS,

S. The combination of the frame, the longi- ARTHUR D. PLECKER. 

